Thief steals Red Cross' disaster pickup in Springfield

A thief early this morning stole the truck The American Red Cross uses to respond to people in need, a spokeswoman for the organization said.

Nigel Holderby, chief communications officer for the American Red Cross Southern Missouri Region, said a disaster response employee who is on-call 24 hours a day, was warming up the car in his driveway at about 6:15 this morning. He'd stepped inside his home when he heard the truck door slam.

The employee ran outside to see the silver, four-door, 2010 Chevy Silverado extended cab truck speeding down street near Sunshine and Oak Grove.

"We're just sick about it," said Holderby, explaining that the organization used the truck to speed rescue aid to families burned out of their homes as well as to tornado or flood victims. "Can you even believe that?"

The truck has Red Cross logos on the doors on both sides of the truck and on the back bumper.

"So it should be recognizable on three sides," Holderby said. "This is such a really crazy event. It's a really sad state of affairs."